/cooking thread jackThinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Would it be better to make fried mac'n'cheese patties by scooping, dipping in 1% milk and bread crumbs, saute-ing, freezing and reheating or making the sauce and fridging/freezing the sauce and making small batches of macaroni to add the sauce to?

/cooking thread jackThinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Would it be better to make fried mac'n'cheese patties by scooping, dipping in 1% milk and bread crumbs, saute-ing, freezing and reheating or making the sauce and fridging/freezing the sauce and making small batches of macaroni to add the sauce to?

this works for me: equal parts butter and flour for rue. i use about 1c of milk per 1tbsp each butter n flour. i make a batch that ends up with like 3c milk, 3tbsp each for rue, 8-10 oz shredded cheeses and like 2lbs pasta. a little bit of onion or garlic powder and white ground pepper is amazing in the cheese sauce. bake it first, 350 for 45 minutes or so. my baby loves it. cut the chilled leftovers into wedges or whatever and then make it fried. you can make and bake as well in smaller oven and freezer proof pyrex thingies, just take one out and bake for an hour or till nice and bubbly.

/cooking thread jackThinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Would it be better to make fried mac'n'cheese patties by scooping, dipping in 1% milk and bread crumbs, saute-ing, freezing and reheating or making the sauce and fridging/freezing the sauce and making small batches of macaroni to add the sauce to?

this works for me: equal parts butter and flour for rue. i use about 1c of milk per 1tbsp each butter n flour. i make a batch that ends up with like 3c milk, 3tbsp each for rue, 8-10 oz shredded cheeses and like 2lbs pasta. a little bit of onion or garlic powder and white ground pepper is amazing in the cheese sauce. bake it first, 350 for 45 minutes or so. my baby loves it. cut the chilled leftovers into wedges or whatever and then make it fried. you can make and bake as well in smaller oven and freezer proof pyrex thingies, just take one out and bake for an hour or till nice and bubbly.

My Mom used to put Breadcrumbs on the top when she baked it in the oven. Everyone would fight over the crunchy top layer, the rest was good too but the top layer was the best.

/cooking thread jackThinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Would it be better to make fried mac'n'cheese patties by scooping, dipping in 1% milk and bread crumbs, saute-ing, freezing and reheating or making the sauce and fridging/freezing the sauce and making small batches of macaroni to add the sauce to?

this works for me: equal parts butter and flour for rue. i use about 1c of milk per 1tbsp each butter n flour. i make a batch that ends up with like 3c milk, 3tbsp each for rue, 8-10 oz shredded cheeses and like 2lbs pasta. a little bit of onion or garlic powder and white ground pepper is amazing in the cheese sauce. bake it first, 350 for 45 minutes or so. my baby loves it. cut the chilled leftovers into wedges or whatever and then make it fried. you can make and bake as well in smaller oven and freezer proof pyrex thingies, just take one out and bake for an hour or till nice and bubbly.

My Mom used to put Breadcrumbs on the top when she baked it in the oven. Everyone would fight over the crunchy top layer, the rest was good too but the top layer was the best.

Timid Goddess:Thinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Either would work, the evaporated milk will be a richer flavor, but you can do it cheaper by adding powdered milk to your abomination to the gods of dairy skim milk. As far as cheese to milk ratio, I make my sauce very thin as it will thicken as you add the cheese into it. My most common combo is to add two handfuls of extra sharp cheddar, a handful of swiss and repeat until I get the thickness I'm looking for. You end up using a lot of cheese, so start with a small amount of your mother sauce or you'll be running out for more cheese unless, like me, you have enough cheese on hand to feed an army of mice (or dairy lovers) for a year. I usually add a shot of tabasco, not to add heat, but just to brighten the flavors.

Also, just like quiche, you can add whatever you wish to your mac and cheese. If you don't want them to see the veggies, steam then puree, but be aware of any potential color changes depending on what type of veggie. Also, the texture will be impacted, but not exactly negatively. I often use a diced potato in cream soups before puree time, then just finish with a bit of cream (and sometimes a pat of butter, depending on what it is) to get the right mouth feel without adding too much fat. Whatever herbs you add will depend on which veggies and/or meats you add to it as well and what sorts of cheese you use. I'm fond of chipotles with all kinds of cheese myself, but rarely use it because I live with a bunch of wussies Norwegians. They seem to think it's "too spicy" if it's anything more than a tiny bit of pepper. That's definitely not genetic.

Would it be better to make fried mac'n'cheese patties by scooping, dipping in 1% milk and bread crumbs, saute-ing, freezing and reheating or making the sauce and fridging/freezing the sauce and making small batches of macaroni to add the sauce to?

If you want to serve it fried from the freezer, then do the work now while you have time, of course. While I've never made fried mac and cheese myself, I did use a similar method with some leftover risotto and made little arangini (sp?) - fried rice balls, 'cept I didn't need the milk as the crumbs stick just fine to chilled risotto, so they should with mac n cheese as well. Just chill it down first. I also oven baked them on a screen after rolling in breadcrumbs rather than fried them. They were incredibly tasty! Some are sitting in my big freezer right now, and I think I'll thaw a couple for gran and I to snack on later. They should reheat well in the toaster oven and maintain the crispy outside as long as I thaw them on a screen or rack to keep condensation from gumming them up. (air drying homemade onion rings for at least half an hour before you fry them is also a good way to maintain crispness, btw, something I just figured out but should have guessed long ago).

If you want to serve it as mac n cheese instead of fried mac n cheese later down the road, I'd make them separately, then do the pasta fresh and add the cheese later. Pasta cooks very quickly. You could combine them in single serve portions, just be aware that even though the pasta is cooked, any residual starch will further thicken the sauce and they will also absorb even more of it, so you'll want it to be a bit more loose when it goes into the freezer.

Bear in mind, that is how I approach things. There are several ways that I'm sure people who paid moneez for their edumacation in the culinary shenanigans may favor, but from a "I started as a dishwasher when I was 14 and hold the home cook close in my heart" stance that I take, that just makes more sense to me.

/cooking thread jackThinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Would it be better to make fried mac'n'cheese patties by scooping, dipping in 1% milk and bread crumbs, saute-ing, freezing and reheating or making the sauce and fridging/freezing the sauce and making small batches of macaroni to add the sauce to?

this works for me: equal parts butter and flour for rue. i use about 1c of milk per 1tbsp each butter n flour. i make a batch that ends up with like 3c milk, 3tbsp each for rue, 8-10 oz shredded cheeses and like 2lbs pasta. a little bit of onion or garlic powder and white ground pepper is amazing in the cheese sauce. bake it first, 350 for 45 minutes or so. my baby loves it. cut the chilled leftovers into wedges or whatever and then make it fried. you can make and bake as well in smaller oven and freezer proof pyrex thingies, just take one out and bake for an hour or till nice and bubbly.

My Mom used to put Breadcrumbs on the top when she baked it in the oven. Everyone would fight over the crunchy top layer, the rest was good too but the top layer was the best.

exactly. and bacon bits too. not all like the crunchy stuff.[i105.photobucket.com image 445x409]

Real Women Drink Akvavit:Timid Goddess: Thinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Either would work, the evaporated milk will be a richer flavor, but you can do it cheaper by adding powdered milk to your abomination to the gods of dairy skim milk. As far as cheese to milk ratio, I make my sauce very thin as it will thicken as you add the cheese into it. My most common combo is to add two handfuls of extra sharp cheddar, a handful of swiss and repeat until I get the thickness I'm looking for. You end up using a lot of cheese, so start with a small amount of your mother sauce or you'll be running out for more cheese unless, like me, you have enough cheese on hand to feed an army of mice (or dairy lovers) for a year. I usually add a shot of tabasco, not to add heat, but just to brighten the flavors.

Also, just like quiche, you can add whatever you wish to your mac and cheese. If you don't want them to see the veggies, steam then puree, but be aware of any potential color changes depending on what type of veggie. Also, the texture will be impacted, but not exactly negatively. I often use a diced potato in cream soups before puree time, then just finish with a bit of cream (and sometimes a pat of butter, depending on what it is) to get the right mouth feel without adding too much fat. Whatever herbs you add will depend on which veggies and/or meats you add to it as well and what sorts of cheese you use. I'm fond of chipotles with all kinds of cheese myself, but rarely use it because I live with a bunch of wussies Norwegians. They seem to think it's "too spicy" if it's anything more than a tiny bit of peppe ...

just had elbows pasta last night but would totally make mac n cheese tonight if i were less lazy

konekosama:just had elbows pasta last night but would totally make mac n cheese tonight if i were less lazy

One of the most interesting and strangely tasty leftover elbow pasta uses I've seen was a friend who decided to clean out her refrigerator, diced everything that didn't smell funky, threw it in with the pasta and stirred it together with some sort of salad dressing (I think she just combined a couple types). She called it "pasta salad" and the same people who wouldn't eat the leftovers the previous few days chowed that Frankenpasta Salad down without complaint.

MaudlinMutantMollusk: so happy Puki came home! Yay!BBBB: congrats on the baby beardies! I really, really want to come and catnap PuPu and force him to live with me forever. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !James72: nicely done video. I remember especially that Mika was really taken with Bernard. Thank you for putting yourself out there to help inform people.lilyspad: we have a great farm halfway between where I live and my Mom's. They raise chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and rabbits and sell them already dressed (frozen unless specially ordered fresh) at the farm or at the Farmer's Market in Madison on the Capital Square. 20 miles closer to Mom is a farm that does the same thing with these beauties:

/cooking thread jackThinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Would it be better to make fried mac'n'cheese patties by scooping, dipping in 1% milk and bread crumbs, saute-ing, freezing and reheating or making the sauce and fridging/freezing the sauce and making small batches of macaroni to add the sauce to?

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 4-quart baking dish with cooking spray.Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and transfer to a large bowl. While macaroni is still hot, stir in American and cheddar cheeses; stir until cheese melts. Add milk, sour cream, mustard and nutmeg; mix well to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and top with grated topping. Bake until top is golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Real Women Drink Akvavit:konekosama: just had elbows pasta last night but would totally make mac n cheese tonight if i were less lazy

One of the most interesting and strangely tasty leftover elbow pasta uses I've seen was a friend who decided to clean out her refrigerator, diced everything that didn't smell funky, threw it in with the pasta and stirred it together with some sort of salad dressing (I think she just combined a couple types). She called it "pasta salad" and the same people who wouldn't eat the leftovers the previous few days chowed that Frankenpasta Salad down without complaint.

I do something similar except I do it with rice: stir fry rice with a little sesame oil, add a couple of eggs beaten with soy sauce, and add whatever leftovers came out of the fridge. House fried rice!

catmandu:Real Women Drink Akvavit: konekosama: just had elbows pasta last night but would totally make mac n cheese tonight if i were less lazy

One of the most interesting and strangely tasty leftover elbow pasta uses I've seen was a friend who decided to clean out her refrigerator, diced everything that didn't smell funky, threw it in with the pasta and stirred it together with some sort of salad dressing (I think she just combined a couple types). She called it "pasta salad" and the same people who wouldn't eat the leftovers the previous few days chowed that Frankenpasta Salad down without complaint.

I do something similar except I do it with rice: stir fry rice with a little sesame oil, add a couple of eggs beaten with soy sauce, and add whatever leftovers came out of the fridge. House fried rice!

I do that, too, but only if I don't want to eat it. My son is all over anything even remotely Asian and edible.

Real Women Drink Akvavit:Timid Goddess: Thinking of (gulp) making homemade mac'n'cheese for my toddler. I want it reduced fat. Start with rue of equal parts flour and butter. For the sauce should I go evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed stuff, for a rich, creamy sauce or 1% milk? Add a bag of 2% shredded cheese. Equal parts cheese to milk? Also low salt. I don't want to add any salt to it, should I add other herbs/spices? Also can I sneak any veggies into it?

Either would work, the evaporated milk will be a richer flavor, but you can do it cheaper by adding powdered milk to your abomination to the gods of dairy skim milk. As far as cheese to milk ratio, I make my sauce very thin as it will thicken as you add the cheese into it. My most common combo is to add two handfuls of extra sharp cheddar, a handful of swiss and repeat until I get the thickness I'm looking for. You end up using a lot of cheese, so start with a small amount of your mother sauce or you'll be running out for more cheese unless, like me, you have enough cheese on hand to feed an army of mice (or dairy lovers) for a year. I usually add a shot of tabasco, not to add heat, but just to brighten the flavors.

Also, just like quiche, you can add whatever you wish to your mac and cheese. If you don't want them to see the veggies, steam then puree, but be aware of any potential color changes depending on what type of veggie. Also, the texture will be impacted, but not exactly negatively. I often use a diced potato in cream soups before puree time, then just finish with a bit of cream (and sometimes a pat of butter, depending on what it is) to get the right mouth feel without adding too much fat. Whatever herbs you add will depend on which veggies and/or meats you add to it as well and what sorts of cheese you use. I'm fond of chipotles with all kinds of cheese myself, but rarely use it because I live with a bunch of wussies Norwegians. They seem to think it's "too spicy" if it's anything more than a tiny bit of peppe ...

Thank you very much for the ideas. If I dice veggies/meats, should I cook partially first or put in raw?

catmandu:MaudlinMutantMollusk: so happy Puki came home! Yay!BBBB: congrats on the baby beardies! I really, really want to come and catnap PuPu and force him to live with me forever. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !James72: nicely done video. I remember especially that Mika was really taken with Bernard. Thank you for putting yourself out there to help inform people.lilyspad: we have a great farm halfway between where I live and my Mom's. They raise chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and rabbits and sell them already dressed (frozen unless specially ordered fresh) at the farm or at the Farmer's Market in Madison on the Capital Square. 20 miles closer to Mom is a farm that does the same thing with these beauties:[i283.photobucket.com image 400x225].

syzygy whizz

Mmmm....mead.I gots a batch going right now...well, two actually. One is spiced orange mead, the other is going to be flavored with rose..So when is the opening and tasting?

There is a place about 20 minutes from me that sells these

there used to be a deli down the street that sold the meat but the farm has turned into a real tourist trap and you have to go there to buy now or order online.I like to buy for the occasional family bbq because the steaks are excellent on the open flame.It also makes the kids go "EWWWWW" when they find out what they are eating. These are the same kids who think squirrels are excellent appetizers and venison makes good meat balls.

These guys ^^ did a whole series on lightening up family favorites. Let me know if the above link doesn't work, I can copy/paste it to the thread too. You may need to put in your email address, but I think this is a freebie so you won't have to pay a subscription.

Timid Goddess:Thank you very much for the ideas. If I dice veggies/meats, should I cook partially first or put in raw?

I'd partially cook them first if they were hard veggies. Something softer, you can put in raw to keep it from turning to mush. So carrots - definitely steam them to al dente (or just before) first. Something like zucchini, I'd do that raw. Meats, definitely should be cooked first (unless, of course, it's a meat that can be eaten 'as is', such as prosciutto or salami).

Heh. This pic I found explains so much about our little bird bath/fountain -

sherpa18:As I scrolled back up the thread to look for a pic (that I did not find, I blame the rum) I realized 2 things - # 1. I came off really preachy in my response to RadicalEd, for which I apologize. And #2. - The "roller coaster" cat gif I posted earlier was just begging for a caption that I missed the first time around (damn it rum, why do you insist on numbing my brain - oh ... wait a minute...) ;o)

Well at least I can fix # 2 (kindly check the poop jokes at the door, thank you) ....

[i415.photobucket.com image 500x363]

No worries, sherpa. I actually feel the same way, I just didn't vocalize it. I've had my doubts about this place for a bit - Ivan has never been this scared of the vet until recently, which makes me wonder. I'm having the heart test done now and here because a) it's cheaper b) he might need to go under soon to have his nose looked out, and someone is going to make me check out the heart murmur to make sure he's fit for a procedure first. This is most likely the last visit to this place for him. Unfortunately since he's in the back, I can't really get a good idea of what's going on. I know he's a fighter (now) but surely there's other ways to get this done??

Ivan is quite fine from last night to today. He was a bit sore on his back legs - I could tell by the way he was walking - but he still ran around like a crazy cat and is now snuggling in my lap this morning. He got brushes and pets and even a quick trip outside when I sat on the porch last night.

I do joke about the hookers liking Suzy (they really do). But to be serious for just one post, one of the most important things we can learn from our critters is acceptance.

Suzy will walk up to homeless people, hookers, gang members, she doesn't care. If they pet her, she wags her tail. It takes no effort on my part to treat them with respect and kindness. And they get a little bright spot in their day.

What making a little bright spot in you day might look like.

[imageshack.us image 640x429]Suzy was consoling my nephew's daughter after she was scolded for something.

I love Suzy all the way over here in CT! I love this post and you too :) Thanks for being so generous with all of us; your posts are some of my favorites.

I too, hate when that happens. Or when a store purchase totals that amount.

A friend of mine and I stopped in at a 7-11 down in SoCal and the register rang up to that amount. The cashier quickly added a penny. Nuh-uh! I IZ POOR! It took me a long time back then to find enough change to buy stuffs from a 7-11. I told her to take the penny off and if it bothered her that much, take another penny off. We actually argued about it for a while before my friend dragged me out yelling "I'm not listening to you fight over a penny when I wanted to go to the taqueria anyway!"

I'm superstitious about some things, but that's not one of them. If for some odd reason I'm ever in a kitchen with you and you drop something and I yell "Watch out!", I'm warning your house Nissen so they don't get hurt and then do bad things to you like tie your cows' tails together or make your milk curdle. You gotta be mindful of those things, you know! Still, feel free to giggle at me.

I had this happen at McD a few years ago. I was so startled I didn't say anything to the woman who took the payment. When I got to the window I just asked to speak to the manager, yes still at the drive through. I told him what happened and told him that I wanted my penny, which I of course I received. It felt a little weird, but it was my penny damnit! It was the principle of the thing. :D